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Next Taoiseach must listen to proposals for ending housing crisis – Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD has said that “the next
Taoiseach must listen to policy alternatives for ending the housing crisis”.

He has made the comments following the revelations that
twelve families and thirty children presented at Garda stations on Tuesday
night because they had nowhere else to go.

The Sinn Féin leader said that the government’s housing
policy is “ruining people’s lives”.

Teachta Adams said;

“The housing and homelessness crisis is a direct result
of the policies pursued the current government and previous administrations.

“This didn't happen by chance and it is not an accident
that it is getting worse.

“The government likes to pretend that the crisis is a
natural occurrence, beyond the influence of government. That is nonsense.
The problem was created by the actions of government. It can be resolved by the
actions of government.

“The next Taoiseach must set such an agenda within
government. That is his duty.

“He must end the pretence that policy alternatives for
addressing the housing crisis do not exist. He must realise the government's
approach is wrong and that it is ruining lives. He must listen to what is being
said, not just by Sinn Féin, but by housing advocacy groups.

“These solutions are being put forward in the Dáil on weekly
basis but the government chooses to either ignore those proposals or to
actively quash them.

“This is why you have families and children presenting
at Garda stations with nowhere else to go. It is heart-breaking and
unacceptable that children as young as nine are now reminiscing about a
time when they had a home.

“The government must increase capital funding to local
authorities to build social housing. It must take real action to tackle crisis
rents and improve security of tenure. They must implement programmes to get the
183,000 vacant homes across the state back into use.

“Such steps would make a real and substantial difference.

“For any party with a genuine commitment to
social justice, these matters would dominate a leadership election. However, it
has barely impinged on the race to replace Enda Kenny as Fine Gael Leader.”